Welcome back to Theatre in Film, our weekly featurette on a film that showcases a life in the theatre. In Part VI of Theatre in Film, we focus on films from 2003 to 2008 that feature characters overcoming internal and very personal struggles to find their happiness in a life of theatre. This week, we feature Being Julia from 2004, a film in which a stage diva finds love, downfall, and redemption on the stage.

Being Julia (2004)

Director: István Szabó
Starring: Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon, Bruce Greenwood, Lucy Punch, and Shaun Evans

What happens:

London stage diva Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is exhausted from her life of continuously acting in plays that she and her husband Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons) produce. She vocally wishes for “something to happen” — a change from the repetition of her acting life. That “something” arrives in the form of Tom Fennel (Shaun Evans), a young American accountant hired by Michael to attend to the married couple’s finances. Julia is initially annoyed by the amorous Tom, but she soon finds herself smitten with him. They begin an affair shortly after their first meeting.

Over a period of months, Julia carries on with Tom while also having feelings for her longtime friend Lord Charles (Bruce Greenwood). During a country trip with Tom and Michael, she sees Tom flirting with Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch). Unbeknownst to Julia at first, Avice and Tom begin sleeping together. Tom promises Avice a role in Julia’s new play, and sets up a meeting between the two women — a meeting that proves successful for Avice. The young girl is cast in the new production by Michael at the suggestion of Julia. Soon Michael and Avice begin an affair, and during the opening night performance, Julia embarrasses Avice by aggressively upstaging her. It is in this performance that Julia regains her power and reestablishes herself as London’s foremost and most formidable stage actress.

Why it matters:

Being Julia presents audiences with multiple issues that actors often struggle with, especially the issue of maintaining a personal identity. Julia’s acting coach and longtime friend, Jimmie Langdon (Michael Gambon), appears as an imaginary figure and acts as a conscious. Langdon, dead for fifteen years, is not to be overlooked, however. His presence is that voice in the back of every actor’s head that reminds them to keep a level head, to maneuver their way through a scene, or to fight for their own dignity.

Additionally, Julia’s friends and family constantly tell her that she’s got an act for everyone: for Dolly (Miriam Margolyes), her son Roger (Tom Sturridge), for Michael, and for Tom. No one is ever certain of whether she’s acting or not, and Julia’s relationships suffer because of her inability to let go of her “onstage” identity. She refrains from eating fatty foods, doesn’t allow herself to indulge in her favorite beverage — beer, and maintains a rigid schedule of rehearsals, performances, and parties. Her inability to be essentially human manifests her discontent in an unhealthy relationship. She’s desperate to make a change, no matter how destructive.

At the end of the film, after she has publicly humiliated Avice and been praised as a genius by Michael (who regains respect her for), Julia attends her favorite restaurant by herself and orders a beer, indulging proudly in something that is so uniquely herself, sans the judgement and restrictions of her friends, family, and personal pride.

Being Julia teaches actors that they must be careful not to lose sight of who they are as people while still being able to maintain their passion and their ability to act.

This film is the second featured in Part VI of “Theatre in Film”. See below for the others in Part VI.

• Camp (2003)
• Stage Beauty (2004)
• Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) (Coming soon.)
• Me and Orson Welles (2008) (Coming soon.)

Want to start with Part I? Begin with 42nd Street (1933).
Miss Part II? Check out The Band Wagon (1953).
Need a refresh for Part III? Start with our feature on All That Jazz (1979).
How about a recap from Part IV? Jump into A Chorus of Disapproval (1989).
Check out Part V, and start with An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).